Sharon Holmes

Sharon Holmes is a judge of the Oklahoma Judicial District 14.^[1] She is the first black woman judge ever elected to Tulsa County.^[2] Her current term ends in 2026.

Holmes worked for the Tulsa County District Attorney’s office as an assistant DA and later "ventured into private practice." She was sworn in as a judge on Jan. 12, 2015 after running against Blake Shipley.^[3][4] She replaced retired District Judge Jesse Harris.^[5] She retained her seat in 2018 by capturing 78.12 percent of the 8001 votes cast.^[6]

She was the judge who released the exonerated Corey Atchison, calling his case a "fundamental miscarriage of justice." Former DA, Tim Harris was the prosecutor.^[7] Current DA, Steve Kunzweiler, defended Tim Harris's work and said they would be appealing Holmes's ruling that overturned Atchison's conviction,^[8] though Harris was accused in the 2020 NBC Dateline investigative episode of allegedly coercing one of two formerly convicted Black Tulsa brothers into confessions.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]} Atchison's lawyer, Joseph Norwood, pointed out that "If Harris and Kunzweiler questioned the credibility of the lone witness against Atchison, the case should have been dismissed."^[19]

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler also appealed and protested Holme's sentencing on Shawn Canady, "who was convicted on two counts of child sexual abuse." A petition for her resignation was started^[20] after she did not take the jury's sentencing recommendation and gave Canady probation. Canady must also register as a sex offender.^[21][22]

Holmes supported the Biden nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, for the Supreme Court, the first Black woman to serve on the court.^[23] Brown Jackson was also questioned by Republican lawmakers for her sentencing ranges used on sex offenders.^[24][25]

Kunzweiler also asked for Holmes to be removed from the Cruz murder case after she had a private meeting with the suspect alone, in her chambers. ^[26] Presiding District Court Judge Dawn Moody "determined Judge Holmes should be disqualified from overseeing" the case.^[27][28]

Holmes has a bachelor’s degree on an ROTC scholarship and spent six years in the Air Force. She attended Oklahoma City University. She is a mother.^[29] In 2019, she was hospitalized after being stabbed by her daughter.^[30][31]